Add The New York Post on Google The grieving Montana mother of two children who were among eight family members killed in a mass home shooting and fire as they gathered for Sunday dinner has spoken out about “honoring” her slain kids.
Erica Schneider’s biological children, Landon and Charlotte Ghekiere, were caught up in madman Alan Smith’s rampage when he opened fire on his relatives at the Billings, Mt., home before setting the property alight and turning the weapon on himself.
The ages of Smith’s victims, a blended family, ranged from 7 to 92.
“To my family, friends, and strangers; thank you for the continued support you have given to myself, Danny [her current husband], and [her ex-husband] Adam [Ghekiere],” she wrote on Facebook Tuesday, addressing the shooting for the first time.
“We are beyond appreciative of you all and hope to have your help with honoring the lives of Landon, Charlotte, and the Smith family.”
Landon, 15, and Charlotte, 12, were killed in a “senseless act of violence,” their family said in a fundraiser created for Schneider.
Landon was preparing to start his senior year at Billings’ Senior High School and was set to get his driver’s license this week before he was gunned down.
He was described as a “patient, protective and loving big brother,” while sister Charlotte, who was set to move into the seventh grade, had an “angelic smile” and a passion for exploring for bugs.
“These two precious children leave behind a hole that is impossible to comprehend, along with a family facing unimaginable grief,” they said.
Charlotte Ghekiere “tried to save her family” by calling 911 from inside the home, family friend Jennifer Mercer said.
“The one thing we do know is that Charlotte was the hero,” she said.
Landon and Charlotte’s stepmom, Megan Ghekiere, her biological children 7-year-old Chloe Ireland, and 13-year-old Owen Ireland, Alan Smith’s parents, Dana and Barb, and his 92-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Smith, were also identified as victims.
Megan — Alan Smith’s younger sister — was killed less than a year into her marriage to Adam Ghekiere, having tied the knot in October 2025. It’s not clear when Adam divorced Schneider.
Adam, an airport rescue firefighter, was working when he heard about an incident that was unfolding where his in-laws lived.
“I tried calling the house and no one answered,” he told the Sun. “I checked my kids’ locations, both Landon and Charlotte, and no one answered. I called Megan’s cellphone too.
“By the time we got to the house, they wouldn’t let us get any closer because it was still under an active shooter status. I feared the worst right then. I don’t think the shooter expected my kids to be there.”
Smith was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and took his own life before cops could arrest him
Brad Ireland, who is Chloe and Owen’s father and Smith’s former brother-in-law, has since described the shooter as a “hermit” who spent most of his days alone on a computer.
Smith, who attended Eastern Washington University, had been unable to hold down a job and followed his parents from Seattle to Montana after his sister was the first to relocate to the state. He spent nearly all his time alone in his room, according to Ireland.
“No one knew what he did in there 24/7,” he said.
He had lived with his parents at their Billings home before they asked him to move out a few weeks ago.
Smith then turned up uninvited and carried out the shooting at around 6 p.m. Sunday night.
